News

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Paris Mayor Makes Rainbow Crossings ‘Permanent’ After They Were Vandalized Twice in One Week

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has said that rainbow crossings in the city – vandalised twice in one week with homophobic graffiti – will be made permanent. The Pride-themed crossings were installed for Paris Pride, Marche des Fiertés, at the end of June. However, the rainbow additions were targeted by vandals twice in one week – on June 25 and June 28 – who covered them with paint and scrawled homophobic messages, including “LGBT get out of France” and “LGBT dictatorship.” The vandalism was promptly cleaned up and widely condemned, including by mayor Hidalgo.“Paris is a safe haven that embraces the republican values ​​of […]

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This Politician Could Become America’s First Openly Gay Governor

Jared Polis (Polis for Colorado) Congressman Jared Polis is on track to be the first openly gay Governor ever elected in the United States. On Tuesday, the Colorado congressman was successfully nominated as the Democratic candidate for Colorado Governor after winning the party primary with over 44 percent of the vote. Polis was elected as a congressional representative for Colorado’s second district in 2008 as only the sixth openly gay person to serve in the House of Representatives. Polis in 2014 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The five-term congressman was also the first gay man to be elected for his initial term […]

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Mexico’s President-elect Cites LGBT Community in Victory Speech

Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Sunday became Mexico’s first leftist president in decades, winning in a landslide victory with more than 50 percent of the vote.López Obrador — commonly known by his initials AMLO — has a long history in politics. He was Mexico City’s mayor from 2000 to 2005, and he ran (and lost) in the two previous presidential elections. A member of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), López Obrador ran on an anti-corruption platform and a narrative of social change centered around eradicating poverty. His win represents a clear rejection of the status quo and political establishment and […]

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UK to Ban Discredited ‘Gay Cure’ Therapies Under LGBT Action Plan

The government will appoint a national LGBT health adviser and take measures to end so-called conversion therapy as part of a plan to deliver what Theresa May has promised will be “real and lasting change”. The proposals form part of an action plan published by the Equalities Office on Tuesday. It follows a UK-wide survey of LGBT people that had more than 108,000 responses, billed as the largest study of its kind. The 30-page plan contains a series of pledges, including to improve the police response to LGBT hate incidents, more support for LGBT students and teachers and improvements to […]

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LGBTQ Immigrant Detainees Reported Sexual Assault At Higher Rates

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained transgender women in all-male facilities and locked them up on average for more than twice as long as immigrants overall, according to figures the agency provided to Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.). The figures ICE shared with Rice shed light on how LGBTQ immigrants are treated in such facilities at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to dramatically expand detention ― including for asylum-seekers and LGBTQ people who may be uniquely vulnerable to sexual abuse. ICE doesn’t publish annual reports on allegations of sexual assault or treatment of LGBTQ people within its detention centers […]

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Gay Wine Weekend Happens July 21 – 23

Enjoy 3 full days of LGBT events in Northern California’s magnificent Sonoma Valley – home to some of the world’s most prestigious wines and wineries. Celebrate with world class wine and culinary delights, music and dancing in a private estate vineyard, VIP Receptions, wine tasting excursions, champagne brunch, wine auction and pool party in one of the most famous luxury wine destinations in the world. Gay Wine Weekend Twilight T-dance Saturday, July 21 6:30-10pm Chateau St. Jean Sip award winning wines and dance into Twilight with 500 of your closest friends in the vineyards at Chateau St. Jean Winery, located in […]

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Istanbul Gay Pride March Hit with Tear Gas as Turkish Police Try to Enforce Ban

Gay rights groups and activists pressed ahead with the Istanbul Pride parade on Sunday despite Turkish authorities banning the event for a fourth year in a row. Around 1,000 people gathered near the city’s famous Istiklal Avenue and Taksim Square where organisers had wanted to originally hold the parade. The activists unfolded a large rainbow flag while a press statement was read out amid heavy security in the area. But police then warned activists to disperse and used rubber bullets against some who tried to access Istiklal Avenue. Amnesty International in Turkey later said on Twitter that 11 people had […]

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Current an Upcoming Events at the Occidental Center for the Arts

‘Call & Response’ Art Exhibit at the OCA Gallery Wolpert • Wagner • Gordon Enjoy this invitational exhibit featuring creations by renowned local artists Dave Gordon, Adam Wolpert and Victoria Wagner. Exhibit runs Friday, June 8th through Sunday, July 29th; gallery open Fri-Sat-Sun 11 AM to 4 PM. At left: Woodrock by Victoria Wagner Horizon 132 by Dave Gordon Pond series by Adam Wolpert “Travel Sketching” Class with Patrick Fanning Six Sundays from 10 AM – Noon, begins July 1st! This class will teach you how to make fresh, lively sketches on location, finishing a complete composition in a matter […]

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California Official Faces Backlash After Calling for ‘Straight Pride Month’

The vice mayor of Dixon, California, is facing calls to step down after he proclaimed July as “Straight Pride American Month.” Ted Hickman declared July as a month to celebrate heterosexuals in a bizarre article on his personal blog, which was also published in local paper Independent Voice. His piece prompted recall efforts – a procedure when elected officials can be removed from office following a vote – with the creation of a “Recall Ted Hickman” Facebook page, which currently has more than 700 ‘likes’. Hickman has faced calls to step down in response to his article (QuentenVoyce/Twitter) Hickman wrote in his article: […]

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Swaziland Holds its First-ever Pride Parade

In a historic and festive celebration, Swaziland held its first-ever LGBT pride parade over the weekend. Hundreds of people marched down the streets of the capital Mbabane waving rainbow flags and holding signs that read, “Turn hate into love” — a scene almost unimaginable not so long ago. The small southern African country, recently renamed the Kingdom of eSwatini by its king, is Africa’s last absolute monarchy and has a bleak record on LGBT rights. The country of 1.4 million also has the world’s highest HIV/AIDS rates and suffers from severe poverty. Saturday’s parade was organized by the Rock of […]

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